The Evans Twins
by Theravenpuffchaser
Summary: When Sophie Taylor's muggle parents are mysteriously killed, she finds she is part of a whole new world she never knew existed. For her own safety, Professor Dumbledore takes Sophie to live with the Evans family, where she meets a certain feisty redhead. Watch out, Hogwarts. The Evans twins are coming. DISCLAIMER: I own nothing- it's all the property of fabulous JKR.
1. A family?

_AN: Hi! This is my first fanfic, so any and all constructive criticism is appreciated! Let me know what you think, I hope you enjoy._

"Sophie Taylor?" a kind voice broke me out of my reverie. I looked up to see an old man with a long white beard and matching hair wearing a deep indigo cloak, half moon spectacles perched upon the end of his crooked nose. I nodded silently, not trusting myself to speak. He held out a hand and helped me up off the floor, before leading me to a plush red armchair by the fire. He sat opposite me, steepled his fingers and gazed at me silently while I looked at my feet, scuffing them on the floor.

"Sophie, my name is Professor Albus Dumbledore. I am from a school called Hogwarts," the man with the kind face began. I kept staring at the floor, not wanting to look up and see the pity shining from his twinkly blue eyes. "Hogwarts is a special school for people like yourself," he continued, regardless of my apparent inattention, "have you heard of it?" I gave my head a small shake no and Dumbledore and I sat in silence as I continued to ruin my shoes on the coarse carpet.

"Sophie," the old man began again suddenly, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a school of magic." This got my attention and I glanced up sharply.

"Don't make fun of me," I hissed with venom apparent in my voice, "you're from an orphanage aren't you?" I demanded. Dumbledore looked taken aback at my outburst, but took no time in recovering.

"I'm not making fun of you," he said gently. "Think about it for a minute, have you ever made things happen, things you can't explain, when you were feeling particularly strongly?" I thought back over the last few years and- oh. An image from several months ago swam to the front of my mind. When Mum and Dad told me I'd be a sister and I ran outside and flowers literally bloomed in my hands and dead ones seemed to come back to life and then there was that incident with the hair dye and the exploding mug and- okay maybe it wasn't so far fetched. The professor waited patiently as I ran everything through in my head.

"Magic?" I asked softly, "Is that what it is?" Professor Dumbledore smiled at me gently and nodded his head. "So I'm a- I'm a witch?" I stuttered out, "What about my parents? Were they wizards too? Did they go to Hogwarts?" My head was spinning. If my parents were wizards, why didn't they tell me? Surely they would have known that they were? And what I was? I looked at Dumbledore expectantly.

"No, Sophie, your parents were not wizards. You mother was what we call a muggle- a non magical person. Your father, however, was born from a magical family but possessed no magical powers of his own. He was what we call a squib, and it is through him you got your magical talents. Although your father was not magical himself, he still carried magical blood in his veins which was passed on to you."

I felt like my eyes were the size of dinner plates. So Dad was a squib and Mum was a muggle and I am a witch.

"Would you like to attend Hogwarts, Sophie?" The professor broke through my whirling thoughts. I gaped at him in wonder and pinched myself slyly. "I assure you, this is quite real. You are not dreaming," Dumbledore chuckled with a twinkle in his eye. Obviously my pinch was not as sly as I thought. But really, he was offering me a place at a magic school for magic people for goodness sake! I had to check I was awake!

"I- I would love to, Professor," I said, my voice filled with wonder and excitement despite it being barely above a whisper. "I don't have any money though, or anywhere to live or-" Dumbledore cut me off quickly.

"Don't worry, Sophie. Your parents left you some money in their will and as your father was the only surviving member of your wizarding family, all of the Taylor assets belong to you now. It isn't a fortune, but should be enough to last you through your Hogwarts years." I nodded to the old man, once again finding it difficult to process everything in my eleven year old brain.

"As for living arrangements, during school term you will live at Hogwarts. In the summer, I may offer you a choice. You can continue to live here at the orphanage, or you may live with a family. It is up to you."

I thought about it briefly but really, there was no question. This place was a miserable dump and I hated it to be frank. So staying with a family, any family, had to be better.

"I think I would like to leave, Professor, and stay with a family. Only if they don't mind of course," I told him shyly.

The Professor gave me a wide smile and offered me his hand as he swept up off his seat. I took it cautiously and Professor Dumbledore led me to the kitchen where my belongings were already packed- it seemed someone had anticipated my decision. He motioned for me to take my trunk before offering me his hand once more. I took it, and with a pop we were gone. I felt like I was being squeezed through pipes, made into spaghetti, taken apart and put back together again in a mere second. My eyes were streaming and my lungs were burning as I took deep lungfuls of air. I looked to the professor as he chuckled softly.

"I do apologise dear Sophie, I should have warned you about apparating. It's not the most pleasant way to travel, I'll admit, but it is very quick." I sat down on my trunk as I attempted to reassure myself that my body was indeed here in one piece all the while giving Dumbledore a slightly accusatory stare.

"Please excuse me, Sophie, I must tell your new family you're here." I glanced around, startled, as Dumbledore swept inside the house we had apparated in front of. I hadn't realised that's where we were. A very ordinary, slightly run down street with well kept gardens and pretty window boxes, much like the street I spent the first ten and a half years of my life living on. The house in front of me was two floors and was probably once white but now looked more of a dirty grey, with a bright red door and golden number 8. There were window boxes filled with cacophonies of colour at every window, much like the garden itself which was the most unkempt of all the gardens I could see. Grass slightly overgrown and no order to the flowerbeds at all, everything just seemed to grow wherever it wanted to and it was beautiful. It reminded me of home.

The red door swung open and a blur of red pelted towards me, knocking me sprawling into the overgrown grass. I looked up in surprise at the girl who had tackled me in a hug. She grinned back, her green eyes filled with laughter as she tucked a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear and rolled off me to lie in the grass beside me.

"Hi," she said, grinning profusely, "my name's Lily. Lily Evans."


	2. Twins?

_AN: let me know what you think :)_

I sat in the Evans' front room, looking about shyly as Professor Dumbledore spoke to Mr and Mrs Evans. It was a cosy room painted in soft creams, deep red curtains open by the window that looked out onto the garden. The small wooden mantlepiece above the fireplace was covered with photos of the beautiful family- Mr Evans, Robert, with his dark hair and brown eyes, tall and fatherly, Mrs Evans, Isabel, with her blonde locks and green eyes, petite frame and kind face, their two girls- Petunia, looking just like her father but with blonde hair and her mothers frame, and Lily, the oddball of the family with her auburn hair and her mothers eyes. I already loved Lily. She sat beside me on the sofa, my hand in hers, as she listened intently to the Professor.

"So you see," I tuned back in to what Professor Dumbledore was saying, "in the interest of Miss Taylor's safety, the best thing would be for the wizarding world to believe her your daughter." Wait what? I looked to Dumbledore with shock and confusion. He wanted me to pretend to be Lily's sister? Before I could voice my confusion, the Evans's were all agreeing enthusiastically (apart from Petunia that is, who had looked at me with a mixture of fear, disgust and admiration since she learned I was a witch like Lily) and Dumbledore was handing them papers to sign and sweeping out of the room, out of the house, and out of sight with a pop.

Lily squeezed my hand tightly and I looked at her with the same shell shocked expression on my face. She quickly enveloped me in a hug, crushing the air out of me until I choked out,

"Lily- can't - breathe!" The rest of the Evans's laughed, obviously Lily's bone crushing hugs were not uncommon, as Lily sheepishly released me. Then Mr and Mrs Evans hugged me just as tightly, while Petunia gave me a tight lipped smile.

"Welcome to the family, sweetheart," Mr Evans said in his deep, booming voice.

"Thank you, Mr Evans," I replied softly, "I hope I'm not too much trouble." Mrs Evans looked just about ready to burst into tears.

"Sophie, darling, it's not Mr and Mrs Evans. Call us Robert and Izzy if you can't manage Mum and Dad okay? I know it's not long since you lost yours," she said with a watery smile and a quick squeeze.

I looked around in wonder at these four strangers who were so willing to accept me into their lives and into their family. I was an Evans now. Sophie Evans. It sounded strange, even in my head. I supposed I'd get used to it eventually.

"Thank you, Robert and Izzy," I smiled. They grinned back at me and Lily grabbed my hand again, yanking me behind her as she ran out of the room and up the stairs. She barrelled into a room, pulled me in after her and slammed the door shut before flopping down the bed. I looked at her in astonishment.

"Well sit down then Soph!" Lily laughed at me. I must've looked like a right prat standing there with my mouth hanging open, staring at my adoptive sister. "Glad that's over, it took forever! I've been waiting for you to arrive since Professor Dumbledore came over last week! It's been so boring here with only Tuney to talk to, she's upset I'm going to Hogwarts and she isn't, although Sev has been fun to hang around I guess but I really wanted another magical sister and now I do, isn't it brilliant?" Once again, I stared at Lily Evans. How did she have enough air to get all that out? I sat down on the bed next to her as she prattled on abut how fantastic it was I was here.

"When's your birthday?" I started as Lily nudged me as she asked the question.

"January 30th" I replied, "Why?" Lily started laughing again and clapped her hands.

"I knew it, oh I just knew it!" Lily giggled, " I knew there was another reason Professor Dumbledore sent you to us- we have the same birthday, Soph! We're twins!" Lily looked so chuffed with that fact, I couldn't help but join in with her laughter. It was the first time I had laughed in months actually. I was a witch with a new family, new name and a twin! How much more could my life change? "We've even got the same hair colour, look!" Lily held a strand of her hair up next to mine, showing it was exactly the same striking shade of auburn. "Non-identical twins! It's brilliant!"

Lily's incessant chatting did the trick eventually. I started chatting back, getting to know my new twin. After all, it wouldn't do to turn up at Hogwarts and not know a thing about my family would it? So I started learning all about the Evans family and my new sister, Lily. We would be sharing a room together, which I was grateful for. I wouldn't like sleeping in a room by myself especially not in an unfamiliar house.

That evening as I lay in the small single bed squeezed in against the wall, I thought back on the past year of my life. It was a sad story really, like something out of a movie. We were happy, Mum, Dad and I. We lived in a small house just out of London and it was perfect. I was ten when Mum and Dad told me I would be a sister. Oh I was so excited, I'd always wanted a sibling! Mum got bigger and bigger and the love in our little house seemed to grow and grow until it seeped into the walls, the floor, the furniture. And then one morning, the house was cold and quiet and the worst had happened. Mum and Dad and Baby were gone and they had all left me behind. I called the police but they couldn't find a cause of death. "Natural causes" they said. So I was shipped off to the orphanage. And then Professor Dumbledore arrived a few months later and whisked me away here, to the Evans's. Maybe the universe made a mistake, and this is my second shot at a family? One with a sister. Two sisters actually. I sighed and for the first time since the Taylor family died, I fell asleep without tears.


	3. Safe?

_AN: Enjoy, and let me know what you think!_

The early morning light seeped into the small room through the curtains, rousing me from sleep. I stretched with a yawn, cursing my light-sleeping before cracking my eyes open. As I took in my surroundings, I suddenly felt very disorientated. Light blue walls, covered in photographs and posters, books on shelves lining the wall opposite me. This definitely wasn't my room. Where was I? Feeling slightly nervous now, I sat up in the bed that wasn't my own and surveyed the room more closely. A messy desk, wardrobe and another bed were among the other furniture. Hang on- another bed? With a jolt, I realised I wasn't alone. I caught sight of the petite figure of a slumbering redhead and breathed a sigh of relief as the previous day's events came rushing back to me- it was Lily.

I sank back down onto the bed as I realised I was safe. More than safe, I was better than I had been for the past six months because I had a family again. I even had siblings, something I had always longed for. I smiled slightly as I looked over at Lily, fast asleep in the early morning. It was hard to believe this was the same excitable girl I had met only yesterday, with her endless questions and chatter.

I felt tentatively happy as I contemplated being Lily's twin. From what I could tell so far, we would get along really well. In fact, I really liked the whole Evans family. Robert and Izzy reminded me very much of my own mum and dad- Izzy was happy and bubbly, like Lily, and full of love just like Mum was, while Robert, with his quiet confidence and devotion to his family, reminded me so much of Dad. Thinking of my parents, I felt slightly guilty about the happiness that was beginning to blossom in my chest as I thought about my new life with the Evans's. What if they were upset with me? What if they thought I was forgetting about them? What if I _did_ forget about them? A lump formed in my throat as the sadness and guilt overwhelmed me. What if the Evans's were in danger because of me? What if whoever killed my parents came looking for me and killed the Evans's too? Tears began to fall thick and fast as horrible questions raced through my head.

"I'm a horrible person, I don't deserve another family", I thought. With that, I leapt up out of bed and began grabbing the few belongings that had managed to make their way out of my trunk the previous night, stuffing them back in. I shut my trunk with a click and, wiping the tears from my cheeks, dragged it to Lily's door as quietly as I could.

"Where are you going, Sophie?" A voice groaned from behind me. I froze before turning around slowly to see Lily groggily sitting up in bed and wiping the sleep from her eyes. "It's seven A.M. What on earth are you doing at this time?" Lily huffed.

I stood by the door, caught like a deer in the headlights. I couldn't tell her I was leaving because I knew she'd tell Robert and Izzy and they would make me stay, and I couldn't stay. I just _couldn't_ , not when bad things would happen to them like they had to my parents. I cast around frantically for a suitable excuse.

"Toilet," I managed to croak out. To my horror, that one word made it obvious I had been crying as my voice was thick and my throat still tight. Lily looked at me closely with concern before she got out of bed and crossed the room to me, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug.

"It's alright," she whispered, "it's alright to miss them, I know I would. Mum and Dad don't want to replace your parents, we just want you to be safe and happy and part of our little family. You're safe here, Sophie. I bet your Mum and Dad are watching over you right now." I looked at Lily in shock as she smoothed my hair back in a surprisingly maternal gesture.

"Don't pretend to know how I feel," I snapped at her, pulling myself out of her embrace. "You've got your perfect little life with your perfect little family, so don't think you know anything about what I'm going through," I spat at her, seeing the hurt flash across Lily's face.

"I don't understand," she began, "you seemed so happy to be here yesterday. What changed, Soph?" My heart twisted in my chest as I heard Lily use the nickname that was reserved only for Dad.

"Stop pretending that you care about me!" I practically yelled at her.

"Sophie? Lils?" A voice called from outside the door. I cursed my loud voice for alerting Izzy that we were arguing as she pushed the door open and peered into the room. "What's the matter, girls?"

Lily was sitting on her bed now, looking at me in shock and confusion. Izzy glanced between us, a concerned look forming on her face before she came over to where I was standing in the middle of the room.

"Why don't you come downstairs for some tea?" She asked me gently, putting an arm around my shoulders and steering me downstairs.

I sat across from Izzy at the small kitchen table, sipping my tea slowly as she contemplated me with concern.

"You don't have to tell me what's wrong if you don't want to, but all the same I'll be here if you need to talk about anything." I looked at Izzy with some gratitude and she seemed to understand. Talking was still just too painful.

"Izzy, can I- can I ask you something?" I hesitated. Izzy nodded her head at me, smiling.

"Anything, sweetheart."

"Are you in danger because of me?" Izzy looked taken aback by my question, "what if the people who killed my parents came looking for me? I'd lead them straight to you," I asked, the worry apparent in my voice.

"Oh, Sophie, is that why you were upset?" Izzy exclaimed, "no, don't worry about that. Professor Dumbledore, he put all sorts of protections in place before he brought you here. They're a 'just in case' precaution anyway, the Professor told us he really doesn't expect anyone to come looking for you. We're all safe, darling."

I felt tears burn in my eyes once more that morning as I contemplated the kindness of these virtual strangers, feeling a wash of happiness that my new family was safe and sound. The happiness, however, was short-lived as I remembered with horror the way I had treated Lily only a few moments prior.

"Is it alright if I go back upstairs?" I asked, "I want to apologise to Lily."

Izzy nodded her head kindly at me, so I stood and made my way back to Lily's room. Opening the door, I saw her sitting on the same spot on her bed as when I had left. She looked up as I entered the room, before swiftly looking down at the floor again. I caught a glimpse of her face and immediately felt terrible at the sight of her red, puffy eyes. She'd been crying.

"Lily, I'm really sorry for what I said this morning. I know you were only trying to make me feel better and I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you. I really am sorry."

Lily still didn't look at me, stubbornly staring at the ground. I crossed the room and sat on the bed next to her. I really did feel horrible for how I treated Lily earlier- she had been nothing but kind to me, she didn't deserve my snapping. I glanced at the redhead beside me, nervously waiting for her to speak. As the silence stretched out, I began to worry that I had ruined everything already. I was mean to Lily when she didn't do anything wrong and now she hates me and she'll make Robert and Izzy kick me out and-

"You were nasty this morning," she started, breaking me out of my internal panic, "but I don't blame you, really, not after everything you've been through." I stared for a minute. Was I hearing this right? Was she really just forgiving me after what I said to her? Lily finally looked up and saw the obvious disbelief on my face.

"I'm not saying I'll forgive you as easily next time, call this a one-time free pass," she nudged me with a small smile on her face. I grinned back, causing her to laugh and grab my shoulder, squeezing me in a one-armed hug.

"Do you want to talk about them?" She asked me softly. I started to shake my head- my standard response whenever anyone asked to talk about my parents- but stopped mid-shake. I felt some inexplicable urge to talk to this girl, whom I had known all of a day, and tell her everything about my family. I supposed that, given we were meant to be twins, she was probably the best person to talk to anyway. Wasn't that was siblings did? Confide in each other?

"They were brilliant," I started quietly, "really clever people. Mum was a researcher, she helped find cures for loads of different diseases. Dad was an accountant, but he knew loads about other stuff too, history especially. He used to tell me stories about medieval times- knights and dragons and witches and wizards. I guess it makes sense now, all his talk about magic." Lily gave me a questioning look. "Dad was a squib, apparently. Professor Dumbledore says it means he was born to a magical family but he didn't have any magic." Lily nodded her head, signalling she understood. "They told me I was going to be a sister. Mum was six months pregnant when they died." At this, Lily put her arm around my shoulder and pulled me in for a side hug as I struggled not to cry again. "I loved them so much. We had picked names and everything. Alex for a boy, Molly for a girl. I always wanted to be a sister." My voice was barely above a whisper now, and Lily could sense that I was close to breaking down again.

"You've got two sisters now, Soph," she started gently, "I know we don't replace the baby or your parents, but we're here." I looked at her and smiled gratefully and we sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes as I sniffed and composed myself.

With a grin, Lily stood up and stretched, grabbing her dressing gown from the foot of her bed.

"Since you woke me up at this infernal hour, how about we go downstairs and find some food?" She suggested before opening the door and bouncing downstairs. I wondered at her seemingly endless amounts of energy as I followed after my energetic twin, smiling softly to myself.


	4. Jealous?

_AN: Sorry for the late update- the wifi packed in so I've been waiting for it to get fixed all week! Hope you enjoy, any comments are welcome. :)_

I was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea in my hand as I had done every morning for the past week since arriving at the Evans's. I always seemed to be up first, no matter what, and had taken to creeping downstairs to have a cup of tea to myself before my twin dragged herself out of bed and began her daily routine of being mad. My days had been filled with Lily- getting to know the feisty redhead had really been great. I felt like we were well on our way to becoming like real twins. Our late night conversations provided lots of hilarity, as well as an insight into each other's lives. I told Lily about my mum and dad, and she told me about her relationship with Petunia. It was strained between them, to say the least. It looked like Petunia had a strong dislike for all things magic and, by extension, a dislike of Lily which made Lily distraught. Her and Tuney had been so close before she found out she was a witch, and now they could barely be in the same room as each other without fighting. It saddened me really, as someone who had always longed for a sibling to see these sisters bickering constantly over the smallest things. It had gotten so bad, apparently, that they now took to avoiding each other as much as they could so as to avoid upsetting their parents with their fighting.

"Good morning, Sophie," a gentle voice startled me out of my thoughts. Looking around to find the source of the voice, I was surprised to see Petunia herself standing in the doorway, smiling at me.

"Morning, Petunia," I replied politely. Despite living with the Evans's for over a week now, I still felt like I hardly knew the older girl. Often she was out with school friends during the day and only returned for tea, after which she would retreat to her room swiftly.

I was slightly ashamed to admit that I hadn't really made any effort with Petunia, and her acceptance of me into the family was soon pushed to the back of my mind as I was so caught up in the daily excitement and adventures that Lily brought to my life, as well as the love from Izzy and Robert.

This morning was the first time Petunia and I had been in a room together on our own. I began to feel nervous, not entirely sure what I should expect from her. I had heard stories from Lily, of course, about how all the nasty things Petunia had said to her. I took those tales with a generous pinch of salt, as I had come to realise that Lily could be quite the drama queen. Still, fears of Petunia calling me a freak like she did so frequently to Lily bubbled up, making me realise that I actually really wanted this girl's approval. I wanted her to accept me into her family as her sister. Given her stance on witches, I didn't hold out much hope for that to happen any time soon.

Petunia sat down at the kitchen table opposite me and surveyed me for a moment. Her brown eyes, surprisingly similar to my own, were much warmer than last time I had seen her, and her face was not lined in fear or disgust as it had been so many times when she saw Lily and me. In short, she looked like the beautiful girl in the family photos that lined the walls. She looked like Izzy, and that thought made my heart swell with a little more love for this girl. She was my sister too, and I felt a sprinkle of guilt at the thought that I had almost completely ignored her in favour of Lily.

"I suppose I should explain why I've been avoiding you," Petunia spoke again, suddenly. My eyes widened as I registered what she had said. So she had been avoiding me. I had convinced myself it was purely her normal routine or her avoidance of Lily, but obviously I was mistaken. I felt very unsure of myself as I considered the implications of this. Did she not like me? Was she annoyed that I was suddenly a part of her family? I really wanted to be accepted by the Evans's, so these thoughts made me very jittery.

Petunia must have seen the hurt and fear in my face, as her own countenance softened.

"It's not about you, Sophie," she began to explain, "It's me. Well, me and Lily I suppose." I knew their fights must be just as hard on Petunia as they were on Lily, and Petunia didn't even have a twin to confide in.

"It must be so much harder on her," I thought sadly. "It must seem like I'm stealing Lily away from her. I wouldn't blame her if she did hate me."

Petunia seemed to almost read my thoughts as she continued, "I want you to know, Sophie, that I don't blame you for anything. Lily and I have been growing apart ever since she met that boy in the park and learned about magic." I was confused at this statement- who was 'that boy'? And how did he know about magic? "Really, I'm glad you're here- I'd rather Lily spent time talking about magic with you than him. It's still hard on me though. My baby sister's a witch and she's going to go to a magic school, she's going into a world I know nothing about and one I can't follow her into." Petunia's eyes were closed now and her hands clenched tightly around her mug. It was taking a lot for her to say this to me, so I sat quietly while she collected herself for a minute.

"I'm jealous," she said quietly, "I want to be magic too, but I'm not and it's not fair. I know it's not really Lily's fault, but she's so happy about it and she doesn't ever think about my feelings, that maybe I don't want to talk about it because I can't go with her. I'm the older one, I'm meant to go first- to figure it all out and come home to tell her all about it, so I can help protect her! So I can guide her through it and make sure she doesn't get hurt. That's why I get so angry, because I'm jealous and worried and I end up saying spiteful things I don't really mean." I stared at Petunia in shock. I had no idea she was feeling all of this. It made sense now, why she spent as little time with her family as possible. Conversation seemed to revolve around magic or Hogwarts or Lily or me. Poor Petunia had been pushed to the side, not as important or as exciting as this new world we were entering. It wasn't anyone's fault, but it was obvious how much it had affected the older girl and I suddenly felt awful.

"Oh, Tuney," I said quietly. Petunia looked up, surprised at my use of her pet name, "I had no idea, I'm so sorry." She smiled gently at me.

"It's not your fault, Soph. I know you didn't ask for any of this, neither did Lily. You're just the lucky ones, I suppose. I just wanted to explain myself to you, in case you thought I didn't like you or something. I do have something to ask, though," I looked up at her curiously, "could you not mention this to Lily? I don't want her to know that I'm jealous of her- she'd use it against me or pity me or something and I don't want her to worry about me," she grimaced. I was confused at this request, despite Petunia's attempt to explain her reasoning to me, but I agreed nonetheless. I didn't want to cause any more drama between the two sisters, so I resolved to keep Tuney's confession to myself. She smiled at me again, gratefully, before leaning across the table and taking one of my hands in hers, "I'm sorry about your family, Sophie. I know we can't replace them, and I haven't really made you feel all that welcome, but I want you to know that I want you to be happy. You don't just have Lils, you've got me too." With that, she stood and brushed her clothes out, before walking from the room.

I stared after her for a minute, shell-shocked by her revelations. I had a newfound understanding of a Petunia now- I knew she wasn't just a spiteful girl, she was struggling with her jealousy and worry for her sister. I still wasn't all that fond of her, but at least I could understand why she did some of the things she did now. She made slightly more sense. I allowed myself to consider Lily and Petunia's relationship for a few moments before smiling widely as I remembered the rest of the conversation. With Petunia's words, I had been well and truly accepted into the Evans family by all of its members.

"Sophie Evans," I said quietly to myself. It still sounded strange to me, but I felt like I could get used to it now. I thought I would quite like being an Evans.

"Don't worry, Mum and Dad. I'm not forgetting about you. I'll always be Sophie Rose Taylor and you'll always be my parents. But now I'm an Evans too."


	5. Magic Shops?

_AN/ Hi! Sorry it's taken so long for another update, but I've been struggling with this no wifi debacle and it's still not fixed! Here's a longer chapter to make up for that :) I do, however have more bad news- I'm off to Africa on Friday and so won't be able to post any updates for two weeks. I know I'm a horrible person- sorry! Next you'll see of The Evans Twins will be August I'm afraid._

 _As always- let me know what you guys think! Any suggestions and constructive criticism are welcome and appreciated. Thanks for the reviews and new follows too- you guys rock!_

 _Enjoy-H :)_

I made my way back upstairs, feeling lighter than I had in over half a year due to my conversation with Petunia. Lily was still fast asleep, and I knew she'd sleep the whole day away if I didn't wake her soon.

"Lils," I shook her shoulder softly upon reaching her bed. Lily snorted and snuffled in her sleep, rubbing her face into her pillow. I stifled a laugh as I shook her again, slightly less gently this time. "Lily, get up you lazy lump."

"Who're you callin' lazy?" Came the sleepy, yet indignant reply. I laughed at her moodiness- one thing that was constant here, was that Lily hated mornings. I was well used to her refusal to get out of bed before nine, and greatly annoyed her if I woke up her up anytime before then.

"Lily, it's nine o'clock! We've got stuff to do today, you know. If you don't get up now, I will tickle you," I warned. The effect was immediate, and I couldn't help but giggle at Lily's absurd reaction to my threat. She leapt up out of bed and ran to the opposite side of the room away from me, hair a tangled mess, the imprint of her pillow on her face, eyes wide with terror. Lily hated being tickled, and I had discovered the threat of tickling would get her to do almost anything.

"That was uncalled for!" She huffed, crossing her arms and giving me an annoyed look. "We won't be doing anything till this afternoon, I could've had a couple more hours sleep'" she whined. I laughed again, shoving her towards the door.

"Go shower, Lils. You stink'" Lily narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at me, before turning on her heel and bouncing out to the bathroom. I grinned to myself, amused as always at her grumpiness. Turning to the small wardrobe that we shared, I grabbed a skirt and top, threw them on and quickly plaited my hair. I pulled open the blinds to let the sun come streaming in through the window before efficiently making both beds- I knew Lily never bothered to make hers which drove me mad, so I always did it for her. I grabbed a couple of books which had made their way off the shelves and onto the floor and put them back in their slots, intent on having the room tidy before Lily got out the shower and created a mess as she was wont to do. As if on cue, Lily came bounding back into the room, towelling drying her hair as she moved. She chose a skirt and top ensemble very similar to mine and dressed quickly, running a brush through her auburn hair before shoving it in a bun to dry.

"Alright," she began, "now I'm up and dressed, there's a very pressing matter I must discuss with you." Lily deadpanned. "FOOD!" She shrieked at me, grabbing my hand and yanking me downstairs after her. I laughed at her as she raced to the kitchen in search of breakfast. Lily loved her food almost as much as she loved her sleep. I leaned against the kitchen counter as the redheaded hurricane whirled around me, banging dishes and cupboards and drawers in her quest for some toast. She popped 4 slices in the toaster- two each- and proceeded to climb on the worktop to reach the chocolate spread that Izzy had hidden on the top shelf of the cupboard.

"Did she really think I wouldn't find it?"

Lily practically inhaled her toast and sat huffing at me to hurry up until I finished mine. With her seemingly endless energy, Lils leapt up as soon as I was done and ran upstairs again, calling for me to get a move on. As I reached our room, I saw Lily sitting on the floor and looking at me expectantly. I gave her a broad grin and sat down next to her, shutting the door on my way.

"So, oh great mastermind," I teased, "What's the brilliant plan today?" Since my arrival, Lily had taken it upon herself to create a plan of what we were to do each day.

"Well," Lily began, "I thought that today we-"

"Sophie, Lily, get your bums down here this instant!" An impatient voice called from downstairs. Lily and I looked at each other, giggling, before leaping up and running down the stairs, skipping the last three steps and landing with a thud in front of Izzy. Robert sighed in exasperation at our antics from the front door.

"Come on, girls, we haven't got all day! Professor McGonagall is expecting us in half an hour," he winked.

"Professor McGonagall?" Lily's interest was peaked, and I stifled a laugh at her eager expression, "from Hogwarts?" Robert nodded seriously, holding back his own grin. "Why are we meeting her?"

Izzy, who had been bustling around us, organising coats and shoes and bags, rolled her eyes at the suspense Robert was keeping both of us in.

"Because," he began, "today we are going to-" Robert paused dramatically, before saying with a flourish, "Diagon Alley!" The reaction was immediate. Lily's eyes widened and she almost squealed with excitement. I giggled as Lils grabbed my hand and dragged me to the car, gushing about how today was the best day ever.

"Magic shops, Soph! We're going to go shopping in magic shops!"

Lily's enthusiasm rubbed off on me, and I soon found myself gushing along with her, speculating about what we might find in a place filled with magic- with other people like us. A small voice in the back of my mind scolded me for being so happy about this when my parents weren't here to share it with me. 'Are you forgetting about them so quickly, little one?' It taunted me.

"Just because Mum and Dad aren't here, doesn't mean I can't be happy. They would want me to be happy, I know it," I harshly silenced it.

The drive from Cokeworth to the middle of London took hardly any time at all, with Lily's chatter to keep my mind occupied. We were soon walking along the busy streets of London towards a grubby old pub called, 'The Leaky Cauldron'.

"The Professor said she'd meet us here to take us into the Alley," Izzy explained as we stopped just outside the pub. I saw other families looking much like ours milling around the same spot. Could they be other witches and wizards with muggle parents? I mused. Judging by the excited looks on the kids faces, and the slightly more nervous ones on the adults' I guessed I was probably right.

"Hello, hello," a Scottish voice sounded from behind me. I turned, along with most of the small crowd, to see a middle-aged woman dressed in what I could only describe as witches robes, bottle green, with her greying brown hair pulled back in a severe bun. Her round spectacles sat on the end of her nose and her thin mouth was stretched into a slight smile.

"Well, if you'll just follow me." With that, she swept off into the pub behind her. Lily grabbed Robert's hand and ran after Professor McGonagall, almost pulling him off his feet as he hurried behind her. I looked at Izzy, who grinned at me, took my hand in hers and followed the rest of our small group into the world of magic.

My head was spinning. I couldn't turn fast enough to catch everything as we walked along the bright, bustling street. People dressed in the most wonderful robes, animals I never imagined existed, shop fronts filled with cauldrons and potions, with newts eyes and dragon scales, broomsticks and bats, owls, cats, toads, books, sweets, jokes- I couldn't comprehend a fraction of what I was seeing. People were using magic.

In front of us, a great white building loomed impressively. Golden doors with carvings blocked our entrance as the Professor finally stopped her swift walk through the street.

"This is the wizard bank, Gringotts. It is run by goblins- yes they exist- and so I must ask you not to stare. They are temperamental creatures at the best of times," she addressed our small group.

"Goblins?" I thought, "What next, fairies? Giants? Unicorns?" My internal wonder was stalled as we made our way into the magnificent bank. The Professor was explaining to the parents how they could exchange pounds for wizard money.

"Galleons, sickles and knuts," she said, "seventeen sickles to a galleon and twenty nine knuts to a sickle," showing us the strange coins.

I allowed my mind to wander, letting Robert and Izzy focus on the money while I gazed in awe at my surroundings. Gorgeous chandeliers hung overhead, the marble floor clacking beneath my feet. Long rows of desks lined the walls, a creature- a goblin- behind each one, counting stacks of gold coins or leering at the wizards they were serving.

"Quite ugly, aren't they," Lily whispered to me, gesturing with her head to the nearest goblin. I stifled a giggle as I had to agree. I could see why Professor McGonagall had said they were temperamental- I would be too if I looked like that. Wrinkly grey skin and sharp pointy teeth, along with beady judgemental eyes. They gave me the creeps if I was being perfectly honest, and I wasn't really looking forward to dealing with them.

Professor McGonagall had obviously finished her explanation, as everyone began splitting off and wandering towards various desks around the room. We approached the goblin Lily and I had giggled at earlier, who glared at us. We quickly exchanged some muggle money for galleons, all quite nervous about the grumpy goblin in front of us. On the way out, Robert pulled me aside.

"I know Professor Dumbledore told you that your Dad left you some wizard money here in Gringotts. Since, technically, you're our daughter now, obviously we'll provide for you the same as we do for Lily and Petunia. But I thought I should ask you if you wanted the key to your vault now, or if you want me to hold onto it?" With that, he produced a small golden key from his pocket and held it out to me. I stared at it for a moment, having completely forgotten about the conversation I had had with Professor Dumbledore about my inheritance. He had obviously given the key to Robert when he visited them before my arrival, the same time he set up all the protections on the house and explained my situation.

"Could- could you hang onto it for me for the moment?" I asked, "I'm not sure I wouldn't lose it," I confessed honestly, "and I don't think I'd have the restraint not to spend it all in one go either." Robert laughed as I said this, and ruffled my hair affectionately.

"Don't worry, squirt," he said, "I'll look after until you want it. Any time you want it back, just ask." He winked at me and we walked out of the bank to catch up with Izzy and Lils.

"Right, where to first?" Robert asked us as we began to wander down the street. Lily could hardly contain her excitement at the thought of being let loose in the magic shops.

"The bookstore! Ooh, no, how about potions supplies first? Or cauldrons? An owl!" Lily gushed, unable to focus on any one thing for too long because of the multitude of shops and wonders that surrounded us. I walked beside Robert quietly, grinning ear to ear as I was able to have a proper look at some of the shops we had rushed past on the way to Gringotts.

Several hours later, we had finally acquired almost everything that we needed for Hogwarts.

"I believe there's only one thing we have left to buy," Izzy sighed gratefully- the shopping had been a very overwhelming experience so far.

"What's left?" Lily asked.

"Your wands," Izzy answered, gesturing towards the black shopfront before us.

'Ollivander's' it read, with a dusty box and a wand on a cushion in the window. I felt my stomach erupt with butterflies at the thought. My own magic wand! The bell tinkled gently as we entered the dimly-lit shop, Lily's hand tightly clasping mine. The walls were covered with hundreds upon hundreds of slim little boxes and it was clear to see there was a far greater number of boxes in the room behind the counter. This instilled a slight sense of panic in me- how on earth was I meant to find my wand in here?

"Ah hello, welcome. You seem to be my last muggleborns of the day- the rest of your cohort passed through earlier today." A quiet voice emerged from the shadows behind the counter, startling all four of us.

"May I inquire your names?" The old wizard moved towards us, his owlish eyes inspecting our little group.

"Lily and Sophie Evans, sir. We're attending Hogwarts this September." Lily answered proudly, while I stood a little straighter under the wandmaker's gaze.

"Hogwarts, eh?" He leered at us, "Do try and stay out of trouble there- it's not your average school." This somewhat cryptic statement had Robert and Izzy glancing at each other was some surprise and worry.

"Are you saying the school may not be safe?" Izzy tentatively asked.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. That all depends on your daughters of course." This answer had all of us bewildered and looking to each other for clarification, however before any could be requested, the old wizard began talking once again.

"My name is Garrick Ollivander. I've been supplying young witches and wizards with wands for decades. I must tell you, the wand chooses the witch or wizard, Miss Evans," with a nod to both me and Lily, Mr Ollivander continued, "You may find the first wand you try is perfect, however if it takes a few tries don't get discouraged. Your wands are here somewhere and we will find them."

That statement settled some of my nerves about not being able to find my wand amidst the thousands surrounding us. I was happy to sit back and watch Lily go first, I was in no great hurry to get my wand- as long as I had it before we went home today. I didn't think Lily could wait another second, the excitement pouring off her in waves was almost tangible.

As Mr Ollivander brought the first wand out for her, Lily was struggling to stay still. I gave her hand a tight squeeze before letting go and moving back, giving her some space. Lily took the wand offered to her and gave it an experimental wave. Nothing happened. Mr Ollivander quickly took the wand back and went searching for another, while Lily's head drooped.

"Hey, Lils, remember what he said," I whispered, "your wand is here somewhere." Lily gave me a grateful smile before turning back to Ollivander and accepting this second wand. The result was the same. This third time, Ollivander returned with a wand in hand and a triumphant look on his face. Lily took the wand and her eyes widened dramatically before she gave it a small wave. Bright gold sparks shot from the end of the wand, causing Lily to squeal with delight.

"I knew this was the one! I could feel it- like power was rushing through my arm."

Mr Ollivander smiled as he placed the wand back in its box, carefully, before handing it to Lily.

"10 1/4 inches, unicorn hair, willow, swishy. Good for charms work. This wand should suit you well, Miss Evans." Lily beamed at this, clutching the box close to her chest before stepping back beside me.

Knowing it was my turn, I took a small step into the middle of the room. Ollivander assessed me for a minute before he wandered behind the counter and plucked a wand off the shelf, seemingly at random. I took the slim piece of wood, feeling the smooth grain beneath my trembling fingers, already knowing this wasn't my wand. I feel nothing like the sensation Lily had just described. I gave the wand a small wave anyway, just in case, but Ollivander seemed to agree with my assessment that this was not my wand as it was quickly snatched from my grasp before he scurried off to another part of his shop. Like Lily, I had no luck on my second go, either.

"Third time's a charm," I muttered to Lily, who gave me a reassuring squeeze. However the third wand felt downright wrong in my hands- and caused one of the pillows in the windows to explode, covering us in downy feathers that Mr Ollivander banished with his own wand in an instant. This wand was swiftly removed from my hands as Ollivsnder pulled more and more boxes from the shelves. No luck, either, with wand number four or five or eight. Feeling thoroughly discouraged, I was even beginning to doubt o was a witch at all- Professor Dumbledore must have the wrong Sophie!

Ollivander once again emerged from the depths of his shop with a box, this time accompanied by the same triumphant smile he had worn when Lily found her wand. I tentatively accepted the wand offered, prepared for another bad result, before I gasped- this was it! I could feel the pure power running through my arm as I waved the wand. Blinding, bright silver sparks shot into the air and a grin spread across my face. I carefully placed my wand into the box Mr Ollivander offered me before turning to hug Lily with excitement.

"10 3/4 inches, dragon heartstring, holly, flexible. Good for transfiguration or defence. An interesting combination, Miss Evans, one I would not have expected. I will be curious to hear what you achieve with this wand by your side." This peaked my interest- why was it so surprising a combination? What did that mean? Before I could ask any questions,Robert had paid for our wands and we were bustling back through the Leaky Cauldron to muggle London. Soon, the intriguing comment had been pushed from my mind by talk of what had been the most exciting day of my short life so far and of the most exciting day coming in the foreseeable future- September first, a dare that was only four days away.


End file.
